Eisenach Hotels and Restaurants

ABOVE: The paneled lobby of the Steigenberger
Hotel Thüringer Hof, where Leo Tolstoy stayed in 1857.

Hotels

I've
stayed in only one Eisenach hotel, the
Steigenberger Hotel Thüringer
Hof (which is conveniently located next to the Luther Monument on
Karlsplatz, within easy walking distance of both the Markt and the railroad
station). The Thüringer Hof is a comfortable four-star hotel with a long
history, and it's popular with German business and leisure travelers. For more
information, see my illustrated
Steigenberger Hotel Thüringer Hof review.

Lower down the price scale, the
City Hotel
offers good value, with 22 rooms and apartments for one to four persons and a
location near the train station. The
Eisenach "Artur Becker" Youth Hostel is even cheaper, with rooms that range
from twins to six-bedded mini-dorms. (It's at the southern edge of town, at the
foot of the Wartburg.)

For more places to stay, consult the tourist office's "Accommodation"
pages or
Eisenach Online's listings of hotels, apartments, and private rooms.

Restaurants

In
Germany, hotels often have some of the better kitchens in town, and the
Steigenberger Hotel Thüringer Hof more than met my
expectations when I lunched and later dined in its restaurant.

I
also had fun (and a hearty traditional meal) in the
Lutherstuben of the
Hotel Eisenacher Hof, where the decor and menu are have a 16th Century Martin
Luther theme.

I haven't dined in the Gewölberestaurant Brunnenkeller,
but the restaurant's vaulted cellars and terrace on the Markt sound appealing,
and the kitchen has won awards for its reasonably-priced German cuisine.

For more restaurant, café, and bar listings, see the
Eisenach tourist office's
Gastronomy pages.

Finally, no trip to Germany is complete without at least
one visit to a Döner Kebab shop, such as the stores listed at
Doenerfreund.de: Eisenach.

If you live outside the EU, a tax-free Renault or Peugeot tourist car lease can be cheaper than renting for visits of three weeks or longer. Minimum driver age is 18, there' s no upper age limit, and rates include insurance.